1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protector device for the tension lock on a conga or the like, i.e., for percussion instruments having a skin that can be tensioned and tuned by means of rods using a multiplicity of tension locks spaced around the instrument""s periphery.
2. Background Art
Tension locks of this type are known in different percussion instruments; in congas in particular, due to the convexity of the resonant body, they often lead to damage when two congas collide during transportation or while they are being played.
It is already known to provide protector devices for the tension locks in order to prevent adjacently situated instruments from being scratched; the known protector devices have the shortcoming however, that they are not easy to attach and the instruments cannot be tuned with the protector devices attached.
Proceeding from the above, the invention has as its object to improve a protector device of the above type in such a way that it can be created cost-effectively and easily attached and that an operation of the tension nut is possible in the attached condition.
This object is solved according to the invention with a main body being U-shaped in its horizontal cross section, radially open on the inside toward the conga and accepting the tension lug of the conga; also a cover; a bottom; a slot in the cover; a slot in the bottom; a cutout in the cover into which the slot opens and which, in the attached position, encompasses the region of the exterior thread of the tension hook; and a cutout in the bottom into which the slot opens and which, when in the attached position, encompasses the top of the tension nut.
A protector device according to the invention can, accordingly, be snapped onto the tension lock in a radially inward direction, widening the slots in the process, and then reliably protects a tension lock with a protector device from scratching an adjacently situated instrument. Furthermore, injuries during carrying and playing are also prevented. Since the bottom of the protector device encloses only the upper side of the tuning rod, retightening and tuning is possible without problem even with the protector device attached.
The protector device is advantageously molded in one piece from plastic and can thus be manufactured cost-effectively. A conically outward directed base on the underside makes the protector device appear decorative and ensures additional protection, particularly for instruments where the tensioning screws are located at an angle.
The invention will be described in greater detail below based on a preferred embodiment in combination with the drawing.